The present invention relates generally to display units for protecting consumer articles from theft, and more particularly, to an improved construction of a display unit for securely storing and displaying consumer articles such as timepieces, while at the same time facilitating inspection and appreciation of the consumer article by the potential consumer prior to purchase.
It is well known to provide a package or display box for storing and displaying a consumer article during shipping and for exhibiting the article for sale in retail sales establishments. Typically, a retail sales establishment will exhibit the consumer article, i.e. a timepiece, in its individual display box on a rack or, alternatively, may arrange the display box on a counter top so that a prospective purchaser may see and touch the consumer article. Such counter top exhibitions may include the consumer article within its display box or removed therefrom. To permit the exhibition of the consumer article within the display box, the display box typically has a transparent cover.
In order to permit a closer inspection of the consumer article, many prior art display boxes permit the consumer article to be removed therefrom. That is, if the consumer article is a timepiece for example, the timepiece and a C-shaped member of the display box may be removed from an interior cavity of the display box. The C-shaped member, generally referred to as a C-clip, is adapted to support the timepiece thereon. This manner of removal enables potential purchasers to more closely examine the timepiece to assist in their purchasing decision but, however, also increases the likelihood that the timepiece may be stolen.
To deter the theft of such consumer articles, it is well known to provide surveillance systems that include, for example, scanners which establish an electromagnetic or magnetic field at entrances and exits of the retail sales establishment. As is known, an electronic article surveillance (EAS) marker or tag may be attached to, for example, the display box or to the consumer article itself. When activated, the EAS marker interacts with the electromagnetic or magnetic field to indicate that the tagged article is entering the field. In this way, the presence of an active EAS marker activates an alarm indicating that a display box, i.e. the consumer article, containing an active EAS marker, is being removed from the premises.
The foregoing systems have been somewhat successful in deterring theft. However, in some conventional display box configurations an EAS marker may easily be removed to defeat the surveillance system. Further, certain merchandise such as, for example, timepieces, have heretofore not be able to be tagged with an EAS marker in a manner which ensures the ability to pick up and examine the timepiece while simultaneously reducing the likelihood of theft of the timepiece. Thus, one perceived deficiency in prior art display box arrangements is an inability to reliably discourage the theft of the consumer article itself.
Accordingly, an improved construction for securely storing and displaying a consumer article, such as a timepiece and watches in particular, and for more reliably reducing the likelihood of theft thereof, is desired. The present invention overcomes the aforementioned deficiencies and provides the objectives and advantages set forth below.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved display unit for a consumer article for reducing or eliminating the theft thereof. In a preferred, yet non-exclusive use of the present invention, the consumer article, may be a timepiece, and more preferably a watch. Hereinafter however, reference to a consumer article should be understood to include watches, but not be limited thereto. Similarly, reference to a timepiece or watch should not imply limitations thereby, so that it should be understood that all references to timepieces, watches or other particular consumer articles should be understood to include consumer articles of all types and descriptions to which the present invention may be applicable for displaying.
It is another object and advantage of this invention to provide a consumer article display unit for securely storing and displaying a consumer article, while at the same time facilitating inspection and appreciation of the consumer article by the potential consumer prior to purchase.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part be apparent from the specification.
The invention accordingly comprises the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts that will be exemplified in the disclosure hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the invention will be indicated in the claims.
The foregoing and other problems are overcome and the objects and advantages are realized by a display unit constructed in accordance with embodiments of this invention, wherein an improved arrangement for a consumer article display unit is disclosed.
Generally speaking, the present invention is directed to a display unit for a consumer article. In a preferred embodiment, the display unit comprises a housing, a mount disposed in the housing wherein the mount comprises at least one aperture therethrough, and an article support unit which itself may comprise an article support platform for supporting a consumer article, a cap being coupled to the article support platform and positionable on the mount and itself comprising at least one aperture in at least essential alignment with the at least one aperture in the mount, and a tongue member, the tongue member extending from the article support unit and including a tab on a surface thereof, wherein the tab cooperates with a side wall of the housing to releasably lock the article support unit in place when the cap is positioned on the mount. The sidewall of the housing preferably provides for the decoupling of the tab therefrom, such as, but not limited thereto, by including an aperture therethrough. A connector, threadable through the respective apertures of the cap and the mount, maintains a coupling of the cap and the mount when the tab of the tongue is decoupled from the side wall of the housing and the cap is removed off of the mount. In this way, there is a maintenance of a coupling of the cap and the mount to discourage the unauthorized decoupling and removal of the article support unit and the article from the housing.
In a specific embodiment of the present invention, the mount includes a second aperture and the cap includes a second aperture in at least essential alignment with the second aperture in the mount, wherein the connector is threadably looped through the respectively aligned apertures. The tab of the tongue member may be displaceable out of the aperture by the pressing of a finger of a user against the tab to release the tab from the aperture. When the tab is released from the aperture, the cap of the article support unit can be removed from the mount. When the article support unit is removed from the mount, the connector maintains a coupling of the mount and the cap.
In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the display unit may further comprise facing brackets connected to an inner surface of a selected side wall of the housing, and the article support unit may further comprise a stabilizer member with the tongue member extending from the stabilizer member, such that when the cap is positioned on the mount, the stabilizer is disposed between the brackets to increase the securing, stabilization and positioning of the article support unit in the housing and in particular, on the mount.